Editorial: Vancouver’s Pidgin a taste of a better future

The newly opened Pidgin restaurant at 350 Carrall Street in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside has drawn protests from some community groups who consider it gentrification.Ian Lindsay
/ PNG

These protesters demonstrating in front of the restaurant Pidgin claim eateries of its ilk are contributing to the gentrification of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside and will eventually push affordable housing out of their community.Arlen Redekop, PNG
/ Vancouver Sun

Related

The arrival of the restaurant called Pidgin in the Downtown Eastside is being celebrated by patrons who have sampled its menu and decried by a small but vocal group of residents who see it as the latest manifestation of the creeping evil of gentrification.

Gentrification is the pejorative term used to describe the renovation of neighbourhoods when it is done in a way that drives out existing residents.

The protesters complain that the new restaurant is aimed at clientele who aren’t the norm in the Downtown Eastside, those with money to spend for a nice meal out.

The fight against developments in the Downtown Eastside that more closely reflect the rest of downtown Vancouver than they do the existing squalor in Canada’s poorest neighbourhood is similar to the fight to save existing housing that is affordable for people on welfare. Similarly misguided, that is.

It’s not that we don’t need housing for everyone in Vancouver, regardless of their income. But housing in a city where land values are among the highest in the country and housing of any kind attracts premium rents, housing that is truly affordable for people who exist on the housing allowance provided by social assistance, will be by necessity substandard.

We cannot be pursuing policies to protect slum housing. Nor should we take seriously arguments to maintain the character of the Downtown Eastside, which is Canada’s worst slum.

By the numbers, it is hard to recognize the Downtown Eastside as part of Vancouver. According the city’s local area profile, people who live in the DTES have a life expectancy that is on average four years less those in the rest of the city; men have a life expectancy that is six years less, more than 60 per cent are considered low-income; they are 50 per cent more likely to visit an emergency room, they have less education and are more likely to be victims of crime.

This is not just a neighbourhood in need of renovation; it is a neighbourhood full of people whose lives need to be upgraded.

The solution is clearly not to fix the neighbourhood through gentrification in its worst sense, which is to replace old buildings with new without regard to the people who depend on them now for shelter, no matter how inadequate.

And that isn’t being done. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been put into creating new and renovated housing in the area for existing residents.

But neither is the solution to protect a slum as a haven for the poor, the drug-addicted and the many people with multiple obstacles to success.

Urban planners have long argued that mixed-income developments are best for the health of the city. That is as true in the Downtown Eastside as it is in Shaughnessy and Kerrisdale.

We may be decades away from having a truly integrated city. For historical reasons there will always be exclusive enclaves. But we must continue with the often politically difficult initiatives to create mixed neighbourhoods.

We cannot accept as inevitable a large swath of the city that is as much of a blight on the people who live there as it is on Vancouver’s good name. We must continue towards providing access to housing that is both affordable and ennobling. And we must continue to provide help to people so that they can renovate their own lives and find work that will allow them more choice over where to live.

And we need to celebrate the arrival of new businesses to the Downtown Eastside and the wealth they create as part of the solution, not as an unwanted intruder.

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.

A Radio-Canada reporter has been arrested for alleged criminal harassment while pursuing the subject of a story. According to Radio-Canada, reporter Antoine Trépanier was arrested Tuesday night by Gatineau police. He was released on a promise to appear in court. Trépanier was called by Gatineau police Tuesday evening and an officer requested that he come […]

Almost Done!

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.